2016 was a rough year. The long-standing MMOs we’ve come to love carried along quite well, but for new titles the selection was pretty limited. And so, as we’re fond to do at year’s end, we look forward to 2017 and the titles we expect to launch (even if in early access, which we pretty much consider launched but ‘half-baked’). Here’s to the next twelve months and the many hours of gaming goodness we hope it brings.

Gaming can go full circle with trends and concepts. Back in 1997 Ultima Online created a concept that allowed large groups of players into a digital sandbox to grow a fantasy world together. EverQuest picked up the ball and ran with it scoring a huge touchdown by taking the game from an isometric view into a third person view.

Das Tal has come a long way since my preview of it last year. Fairytale Distillery’s vision and approach for it is ambitious, with the goal of offering an accessible but hardcore sandbox MMO experience that focuses on PvP, crafting, and skill-based combat. From what I’ve seen so far, Fairytale looks to be on the right track.

Last week, the guys behind the indie sandbox MMO Das Tal stirred the MMO community pot by comparing their game to XLGAMES and Trion Worlds’ ArcheAge, pointing out that AA has had a rocky start and vowing to do better by the player with their own game. The statements from David Wells really struck a nerve within the MMO-verse, and we reached out to him and colleague Alexander Zacherl to comment more on the comparison and their own game’s design.

How do you produce a sandbox MMO with a minimal team? That’s exactly what Alexander Zacherl and Fairytale Distillery have been doing with their latest project Das Tal. Currently in early alpha, it aims to preserve that feeling of progression and power growth by restarting the world every few months. During Gamescom, he sat down with columnist Gareth Harmer to explain the concept in more detail.

Das Tal, a new PvP-focused sandbox MMORPG from Fairytale Distillery, has an ambitious task: provide a hardcore player-vs-player gameplay experience that is still accessible for casual gamers. With server-specific rulesets, skill-based combat, and an emphasis on group coordination, the game offers an interesting take on what sandbox MMOs can look like.

Previews

Das Tal has come a long way since my preview of it last year. Fairytale Distillery’s vision and approach for it is ambitious, with the goal of offering an accessible but hardcore sandbox MMO experience that focuses on PvP, crafting, and skill-based combat. From what I’ve seen so far, Fairytale looks to be on the right track.

How do you produce a sandbox MMO with a minimal team? That’s exactly what Alexander Zacherl and Fairytale Distillery have been doing with their latest project Das Tal. Currently in early alpha, it aims to preserve that feeling of progression and power growth by restarting the world every few months. During Gamescom, he sat down with columnist Gareth Harmer to explain the concept in more detail.

Das Tal, a new PvP-focused sandbox MMORPG from Fairytale Distillery, has an ambitious task: provide a hardcore player-vs-player gameplay experience that is still accessible for casual gamers. With server-specific rulesets, skill-based combat, and an emphasis on group coordination, the game offers an interesting take on what sandbox MMOs can look like.

Interviews

Last week, the guys behind the indie sandbox MMO Das Tal stirred the MMO community pot by comparing their game to XLGAMES and Trion Worlds’ ArcheAge, pointing out that AA has had a rocky start and vowing to do better by the player with their own game. The statements from David Wells really struck a nerve within the MMO-verse, and we reached out to him and colleague Alexander Zacherl to comment more on the comparison and their own game’s design.

Columns

2016 was a rough year. The long-standing MMOs we’ve come to love carried along quite well, but for new titles the selection was pretty limited. And so, as we’re fond to do at year’s end, we look forward to 2017 and the titles we expect to launch (even if in early access, which we pretty much consider launched but ‘half-baked’). Here’s to the next twelve months and the many hours of gaming goodness we hope it brings.

Gaming can go full circle with trends and concepts. Back in 1997 Ultima Online created a concept that allowed large groups of players into a digital sandbox to grow a fantasy world together. EverQuest picked up the ball and ran with it scoring a huge touchdown by taking the game from an isometric view into a third person view.